Summer Camp
by Debbie Kluge
Summary: Story #3 in the Jealousy Series. A community service project in California turns deadly for Jonny and Jessie.


**

THE REAL ADVENTURES OF JONNY QUEST

**

Summer Camp

by

Debbie Kluge  


The entire Quest family sat around the dinner table. It had been a pleasant meal; a rare treat in having them all together and seated in one place at one time. Mrs. Evans had outdone herself, fixing them all their favorite dishes.

When Benton Quest had asked her what the occasion was, she replied, "Land's sake, it's seldom enough you all get together that it's an occasion. I reckon it deserves something special." They had all laughed and agreed.

After she had left Benton had leaned back in his chair and asked Jonny, "So did you manage to get all registered for school today, son?"

His face darkened. "I don't want to talk about it."

Benton sat up, concerned. "What's wrong?" Jonny just glowered.

It was Jessie that responded. "They're going to make him take the new "Human Socialization" class."

Hadji looked at Jonny in puzzlement. "What is wrong with that, my friend? I have heard they do some interesting things."

Jonny glowered, "It's the one class in school there is _no way_ to make up missed time. And old man Laughlin's teaching it!"

"Jonny," his father reprimanded him, "Mr. Laughlin is a fine teacher!"

"Yeah, but he's death on attendance! And we're supposed to go to Tibet to visit your friend Prasad over the holidays. Mr. Laughlin will never let me out of over a month of class!" Jonny looked suddenly hopeful. "Couldn't we postpone the trip until after the term is over?"

Benton shook his head regretfully. "No, son, I'm sorry. This isn't just a meeting of phenomenologists. Prasad has some specific research that is dependent on time. We have to be there in a very specific time window or it will be another five _years_ before the experiment can be repeated"

"Well, you're a consultant to the School Board. Couldn't you get me out of this?"

"Jonny!!!!"

"Well . . ."

Benton sighed. "There is one way out of this, you know. You can do a special project of some kind that will meet the requirements of the course. That would exempt you from the requirement."

"Yeah, but where am I going to find a project in July that will be finished by mid August?"

Race spoke up. "Hey, Benton, what about Doug Sanderson's program? He's in a real bind and I bet his summer camp program would qualify."

Benton's face lit up. "You're right, Race. It definitely would. That could solve the whole problem!"

"It would solve more than that. It's an easy solution to not being able to take the kids with us on the Defense Department inspection trip we have to go on. Jessie could go as well. Sanderson could use her help and then she wouldn't have to go and spend six weeks sitting in the San Fernando Valley while her mother worked. I really am getting sick of hearing her complain about that prospect. And Estella won't mind. I don't think she's looking forward to six weeks of complaints, either."

"Daaaaddddd . . ."

He shrugged. "Well, it's true."

Jonny broke in eagerly, "What kind of project is it? I'll do _anything_ not to have to take that stupid class!"

"Easy. I want you to think about this before you say 'yes'. It is an important project and I don't want you jeopardizing it."

"Well, what is it?"

"Doug Sanderson sponsors a summer camp for underprivileged children every summer. He takes 12-15 children to some nice, outdoorsy place for two weeks and shows them how to survive on their own in the natural world. Normally, the program is underwritten by a grant. But through a series of circumstances, he only has five kids signed up this year. And that number is so low that the granting agency won't fund him. He's prepared to pay for the trip out of his own pocket so those five kids can go, but he needs an assistant to accompany him to meet the state requirements for adult supervision. Teenagers will meet the criteria as long as there is an adult heading the group. He has asked me to find one or two kids who would be willing to go along as his assistants." He cautioned them both, "This is an unpaid project . . . totally volunteer. You would spend a month working with him. Two weeks here planning and preparing for the trip and two weeks in the woods with the kids."

Jessie and Jonny looked at each other. "What kind of kids?"

"They range in age from six to eleven years of age. They come from this general area and are local kids whose parents don't have the money to spare on things like vacations or summer camp. As I recall, Doug said there were three boys and two girls. Is that right, Race?"

"Far as I remember. Sanderson's a good man and I've heard really positive things from both the parents and the kids about prior years of the program. Be a shame if it had to be scrapped this year."

"Well . . . we really don't know much about kids, particularly little ones . . . "

"As I understand it, that is the basic principle behind the new class they want you to take. Learning to socialize with people better in an effort to cut down on things like gangs and domestic violence. And I'm certain I would have no trouble convincing the School Board to accept it as your project."

Jonny didn't hesitate. "Okay. Tell them we'll do it!"

Jessie hesitated only a fraction of an instant. "Yeah. We'll do it!"

  


~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  


Jonny and Jessie met Doug Sanderson several days later at his home outside Rockport. He turned out to be a pleasant-faced man of about 35. He was a little shorter than Dr. Quest with caramel colored hair and eyes and a friendly smile. When he answered the door of his 100-year-old farmhouse he was carrying a child. The little girl was obviously his daughter, having the same caramel hair and eyes. She sucked her thumb and eyed the strangers solemnly as he escorted the Quests into the living room and invited them to sit down.

Benton began, "Doug, I don't believe you've had the opportunity to meet my son, Jonny or Race's daughter Jessie."

The man smiled. "No, but I've heard a great deal about them. They are something of icons among the other children in the area."

Both young people looked uncomfortable and their parents chuckled. "Well, these two 'icons' are interested in volunteering for your summer camp. Jonny needs the credit and Jessie likes the idea of spending two weeks in the mountains rather than in the smog. If they would suit your needs, I think they would do well as your assistants."

Doug had set his daughter on her feet on the floor when he sat down. She had watched Jessie and Jonny while clinging to her father's leg. Suddenly she walked over to Jonny, looked up at him, removed her thumb from her mouth, and said, "Hello."

Jonny looked startled. He paused for a minute and then said hesitantly, "Hi . . ." He looked at Jessie a bit helplessly and then back at the little girl. "What's your name?"

"Mica."

"Oh . . . that's a nice name."

"I'm two."

Jonny seemed at a loss. Jessie looked at the little girl and then said, "Hi. My name's Jessie. And that's my friend Jonny."

Mica looked at Jessie for a minute and suddenly she laughed. She scrambled up on the sofa between the two and reached out for Jessie's hair. "I have a color crayon like this. It's my favorite color."

Jessie laughed back at her. "Well, thank you. That's a nice thing to know."

Jonny was watching the two of them, a little bemused. He glanced over at his father and saw that all three adults were laughing. Somehow he thought they were laughing at him.

"Mica is my judge. If she likes them, they will do well. I would be happy to have them as my assistants this summer. When can you start?"

  


~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  


The first week absolutely flew by. There were so many things to do before they were ready to leave that Jessie and Jonny were sure they could never get it all done. They spent hours making lists, packing boxes, completing and checking consent forms and a whole host of other details that Doug assured them were necessary to take young children on an expedition such as this one.

"It's one thing to take your own family on a vacation, but to accept responsibility for someone else's children is something completely different." Doug assured them one afternoon. "You have to plan for absolutely everything, knowing that no matter how hard you try something will eventually go wrong."

Both Jonny and Jessie had developed an instant rapport with Doug Sanderson. For one thing, he was trying to raise a young daughter as a single parent. His wife had died shortly after Mica was born and it had been the two of them ever since. Jonny, particularly, seemed to have an instinctive understanding of the situation. Once or twice Jessie had seen him looking at Mica with a brooding look and she wondered if he was thinking of growing up without his own mother. 

Mica was a revelation to both of them. Her name was actually Michaela Renee. Doug had laughingly told them that she was so small when she was little that he couldn't bring himself to call her Michaela so he had taken to calling her Mica and it had stuck. She was a sweet, even-tempered child who was curious about everything. She spent her days following Jonny and Jessie around trying to _help_ with everything and became very attached to both of them. They both enjoyed the child and looked forward to having her around. They came home to the Quest Compound at night and spent most of the evening telling their fathers about what she had done that day.

On Saturday morning at the end of the first week, Benton and Race were out in the front courtyard when they saw a van coming up the drive. When it pulled up, they discovered it was Doug Sanderson with Mica. The two men walked up as Doug climbed out of the van.

"Morning, Doug. How are you today?"

He laughed. "Beginning to have the jitters about the trip. It always happens about a week before it's time to leave." He came around the van, opened the door and began unfastening the child restraint on his daughter. She was practically bouncing in excitement.

"Hold _still_, Mica. I can't get it . . . ah, there it is." He lifted his daughter out of the van and set her on the ground just as the front door opened and Jessie came out.

Mica went running across the courtyard with her arms outstretched, crying, **"Jeeeessssssiiiiieeeeee!!!!!"** Jessie ran to meet her, catching her in her arms and swinging her up and round. Both laughed in delight. Jonny came out and joined them, capturing her from Jessie and tossing her a short distance in the air and catching her as she came down. Mica crowed in delight. Both Benton and Race winced.

"Hi-a, squirt. How are you today?"

"Do it __"

Just as Benton was about to give Jonny a sharp reprimand about handling the child carefully, he shook his head and began walking away. "Not here. If you slipped, you would land on the flagstones and that would hurt." He winked at her. "I know . . . I've done it!" 

She squirmed in his arms, spotting something out on the lawn. "Want _down_!" He swung her down and set her on her feet. She took off running across the grass after Bandit who had followed Jonny out of the house. The two young people exchanged a look and took off after her.

Doug was chuckling. "She's been looking forward to this for three days . . . ever since they told her she could come see where they live this weekend. It's all she's talked about." The three adults watched as Jonny introduced her to the dog and showed her how to pet him. Bandit rolled over on his back waving his legs in the air and Mica laughed. After a while the three of them stood up and began wandering around the grounds of the large compound. Benton noticed they took great care to keep her well away from the path that led to the lighthouse and the sea cliffs. 

Doug turned and moved to the back of the van. "Well, let me get this stuff unloaded and then I'll take off." Benton and Race looked at him in surprise and he paused, "Didn't Jessie and Jonny tell you?"

"Tell us what?"

"That I have to fly to California to make the final arrangements for the permits and all. They volunteered to keep Mica for four days while I'm gone." He suddenly looked concerned. "I assumed when they volunteered that you knew about it."

Both men shook their heads and Benton commented, "No, they didn't mention it."

They all looked out across the lawn and a sudden lump rose in Benton Quest's throat. His son stood, holding the little girl in one arm. He was pointing at something in a nearby tree and she was looking at it with a look of wonderment on her face. Jessie stood next to them and as the three adults looked over she laid a hand on the child's arm and pointed to something off to one side. All three looked and Mica laughed. _Am I looking at the future?_ he wondered. He glanced over and knew in an instant that Race was thinking the same thing. 

Benton coughed slightly, and commented to Doug, "But it's not a problem. Mica is more than welcome here for as long as you need her to stay." He looked at Doug and saw understanding reflected in his eyes. He said softly to the younger man, "They grow up so fast."

Race shook his head. "Yeah. But I'll tell you, Doug, I really wish your daughter would throw an honest to goodness fit once in a while. I'm gettin' downright nervous watchin' those two. They're havin' way too good a time. I'd feel a whole lot better if they got a good dose of the problems as well as the fun. I don't want them startin' to think it might be fun to have that situation be a bit more permanent." Benton looked startled and then a little concerned as he looked back at the trio who were now inspecting a bed of flowers not far away.

But Doug laughed. "Then this weekend will probably be good for them. I hope she won't misbehave too badly, but I guarantee they will be absolutely exhausted by the time I get back. And Race, don't worry about the "joys of parenthood" syndrome setting in. I promise you by a month from now they will probably believe that **80** is too young to have kids!" He lifted a small suitcase, a diaper bag and a box of toys out of the back of the van. "I didn't bother to bring her crib. She should do fine on the floor."

Benton shook his head. "Not necessary. _**Jonny!**_" The boy looked up from his seat on the ground. "Why don't you go up in the attic. I'm pretty sure your old crib is still in storage up there. I know the sheets and stuff are in the back storage cabinet. They probably need to be washed but should still be serviceable." Jessie and Jonny rose and, taking Mica, they headed for the house. 

Doug called to his daughter, "Mica!" She turned and ran toward him. He caught her and swung her up into his arms. "I expect you to be good while I'm gone. Can you do that for me?"

She nodded. "Yup."

"And stay out of trouble?"

"Yup."

"That's 'yes'."

She looked at her father with disgust. "Thas what I said!"

He shook his head and said to Race and Benton, "I don't know where she gets it."

Jessie called to the little girl, "You want some milk and cookies?"

She started to wriggle in her father's arms. As he set her down she said, "S'ammin'!"

Everyone began laughing, and Race commented, "Well, I know where she got that one!"

Doug held out a fairly large file folder. "By the way, you two, here are the profiles of the kids that are going with us. You'll want to study them so you're familiar with their backgrounds. They'll arrive at my place on Saturday evening and, if all goes well, we will leave on Sunday morning. The youngest is six; the oldest eleven. And then there's Mica so there'll be nine of us total." 

Both young people brightened. "Mica gets to go?!"

Doug laughed. "Yes, Mica gets to go. I can't afford the trip _and_ a baby-sitter for two weeks. She's actually very good on trips like this. Furthermore, with two built-in baby-sitters that I don't have to pay, what more could you ask for!"

  


~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  


Late Monday evening Jessie and Jonny settled down with the file folder in the living room. Mica was asleep in the crib in Jessie's room.

Jonny leaned back and sighed deeply. "I don't think I have ever been so tired in my whole life! **Where** does she get all the energy?"

Benton snickered and Race commented to the ceiling, "I'm lovin' this. It's like payback . . . " 

Jessie threw a pillow at his head. "Well, let's see what the rest of our rug rats are going to be like." She pulled the profiles out and passed half of them to Jonny. Both began to read.

Jonny was the first to look up. "There's a set of twins. Boy and girl . . . Jason and Natasha Smythe . . . age six. They live in Rockport with their mother."

Race looked up. "I'll bet that's Naomi Smythe's kids. You know her, Benton. Works in the grocery store down on Main as a clerk. As I recall her husband took off a couple of years ago." He shook his head. "I feel real sorry for her. From what I hear she can barely make ends meet." 

Benton looked sad. "I've talked to her several times. Seems to be a very nice lady. I think I've even seen the kids too . . . small and quiet; never seem to have much to say and just kind of fade into the woodwork. You'd never know they were around unless you looked for them." 

Jessie looked up and asked, "Know anything about a Todd Washington? He's from over in Camden." Both shook their heads. "Father's a construction worker, but he's evidently disabled. Does odd jobs and such but not much of an income. Mother's a housewife. The boy is seven years old. It says he stutters."

Jonny moved to the next file. "I've got a Brandon Simmons from North Waldoboro. Ten years old. Mother is an accountant for a company in Rockland." He frowned a little. "Says here he's been in trouble at school . . beating up on the other kids, truancy, that kind of stuff."

Jessie frowned. "Truant? At _ten_?!"

Jonny shrugged. "Looks like he's starting early."

"Well, I've got the last one, and, oh boy." She handed him a picture.

"A picture, no less." He looked at it for a minute and then looked at Jessie. "How old did you say this girl is?"

"Eleven."

"You've got to be kidding. She looks as old as we do."

Jessie grinned at him, a wicked look in her eyes. "Hormones. And it gets better. If the notes in the file are to be believed, she's boy crazy. She was given one of those early child development surveys where they ask you what you want to be when you grow up?"

"Yeah?"

"She wants to get married and have babies."

"Oh, man . . . "

  


~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  


That Saturday arrived quicker than Jessie and Jonny had thought possible. When the doorbell rang to announce the arrival of the first of the children Jessie was checking the final set of files to insure that all the necessary paperwork was in order. She had created files for each child that included the release paperwork the parent had to sign, the medical history of the participant, camping authorizations and any other miscellaneous information they had. She heard Doug answer the door and greet the arrivals cheerfully. As she looked up Doug walked in with two individuals. One was a boy of about ten years old and the other was an older woman who Jessie assumed was his mother. _Strange,_ thought Jessie, _what is she doing dressed like that on a Saturday?_ She wore a severe navy blue two piece suit with a white blouse. Her navy blue heals and leather shoulder bag matched perfectly. _This must be the Simmons._

Without preamble the woman turned to the boy and said, "I'll be back in two weeks to pick you up. I left your stuff out on the porch. And try to stay out of trouble." She turned to leave and then had a thought and stopped. "No, I have a business meeting in two weeks. I'll send Monica. Thank you for accepting my son into your camp program, Mr. Sanderson. It solved some tremendous problems for me." She turned again to leave.

Doug looked at her blandly and commented, "Not a problem. I'm sure _Brandon_ will enjoy the time."

"Oh. Oh . . . of course. I'm sure he will." She turned to the boy briefly again. "I'll see you in two weeks." And with that she walked out. Jessie looked at the boy in sudden pity. The pain and rejection was plainly written on his face. She suddenly thought that maybe the boy had a reason for being in trouble all the time. Doug laid a hand on the boy's shoulder and steered him toward Jessie.

"We're glad you're going to be with us, Brandon. This is Jessie and she'll be accompanying us to California." The boy turned a sulky look on Jessie and didn't say anything.

She smiled at him. "Hi. I'm glad to know you."

"Yeah. Whatever. Can I watch television?'

Jessie was taken aback, but Doug just laughed. "Take advantage of it while the opportunity presents itself? Sure, go ahead. You can watch the set over there in the corner." The boy shambled over and dropped into a chair, using the remote to turn on the set and began to channel surf.

Jessie looked at Doug in concern, but he shook his head. "You have to expect something like this, Jessie. That boy is at sea . . . emotionally bruised and battered." He sighed heavily. "There are many forms of child abuse . . . this is one of saddest forms. Completely unconscious, unintentionally sadistic, and totally devastating. We've got our work cut out for us there."

"But what do we do?" Jessie was honestly distressed. Of course she knew about child abuse . . . they regularly discussed it in classes at school. But somehow she always thought of it as a parent hitting their kid. She was having to struggle with this idea. _How could any mother do something like that to her own kid?_

"We move slowly and try and teach him that he has worth as a person and that not all people are going to treat him as baggage. And it won't be easy."

"I'll warn Jonny."

Over the next hour the rest of the children arrived. The Smythe children were quiet and rather colorless. She remembered Dr. Quest's comment about them fading into the woodwork and understood what he meant. They seemed good at communicating with each other, but were silent most of the time otherwise. It was almost like they had mutual ESP but shut the rest of the world out. Todd Washington was also very quiet, but Jessie sympathized immediately the first time he tried to talk. She had asked him if he would like to have something to drink. She could see him debate with himself and she wondered why the decision was so hard.

Finally, he said, "Th..th..th..th..ank you. Th..th..th.that w..w..w..would be nice." She heard Brandon snicker in the background and the boy flushed.

Jessie dropped an arm companionably around his shoulders and steered him in the direction of the kitchen, smiling at him as they walked. "Good. Would you help me get the stuff?" He nodded and smiled back at her tentatively. "It's always nice to have company." She saw Brandon scowl and the sulky look descended on his face again.

Jonny arrived just before the final child did and was introduced to those already there. He had been handling the loading of supplies onto the jet at the Quest Compound in preparation for leaving the next morning. Doug had encountered difficulties trying to book a block of seats on the flight out to California and was being forced to split the children up for the plane flight out. Jonny had told his father about it and Benton had promptly called and offered the services of one of the Quest jets for the trip out. He had told Doug that Race had to pick up some supplies for the Compound anyway and there was no reason he couldn't take the group when he went. Jonny suspected that it wasn't entirely true but he didn't argue. As Jonny talked with the various children already there Jessie gauged his reaction to each. Everything was fine until he reached Brandon. Both Doug and Jessie recognized the instant animosity that sparked between the two. 

"I'll talk to him," she whispered to Doug and grabbing Jonny by the arm, hauled him out of the family room with some excuse about checking supplies. She explained the situation with the boy quickly.

Jonny looked slightly more sympathetic but still commented, "He better clean up his attitude though or it's going to be a long two weeks."

Both of them clearly heard the doorbell from their position on the back porch and Jessie commented, "That has to be Amy Cartwright."

Jonny sighed. "Well, let's get it over with."

As they walked into the room they heard a middle aged woman saying to Doug, " . . . and it's imperative that she's back here by a week from Thursday! She has been selected as the county contestant for the Junior Miss Maine contest and she had to be back to register."

"Mrs. Cartwright, you know that this trip does not arrive back until two weeks from today. There will be no way to get her back by that Thursday."

"But you simply have to! If she wins this, she will go to a northeast regional contest that could be the preliminary to her competing in the Junior Miss USA pageant. It could mean endorsements, TV contracts, all kinds of things!" Jessie and Jonny looked at the young girl standing in the middle of the room. At least they thought she was young. She was dressed in a short, tight skirt, a blouse and three inch heels. Her brown hair was carefully styled and her makeup was perfect. All in all, she looked about 19 or 20. She looked over at the two of them as they entered and her gaze sharpened as she spotted Jonny. She looked him up and down and then turned to her mother.

"It's all right, Mother. With pictures and stats sheets, you can register me on Thursday. I don't have to physically report until Monday morning so we will be okay."

"Are you sure about this, Amy? Maybe you shouldn't go."

Amy looked Jonny over from head to foot again and smiled. "No, I want to go. I think it will be fun."

  


~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  


The plane flight was relatively uneventful. A few minor arguments between various children were quickly mediated and Brandon's one attempt to bully Todd was quickly squelched. Amy followed Jonny wherever he went, which both Race and Jessie found highly amusing. Jonny talked with Doug about it but the only advice he gave him was to "handle her gently . . . she was young and impressionable." Jonny grumbled to Jessie later that he thought she was "about as impressionable as a barracuda." 

The one surprise on the way out occurred when Mica attached herself to Brandon. The little girl seemed to develop an instant liking for the sullen ten-year-old and she spent almost the entire flight out sitting with him. At first he tried to shove her away and made hateful comments to her. But when the small child wouldn't be discouraged the boy gave up and allowed her to stay. By the end of the flight she even had him laughing.

When Jonny expressed surprise, Doug just smiled. "I told you once that she is instinctively good with people. That boy is okay. We just have to find a way past the wall he's erected around himself. I would say that Mica may be our avenue."

  


~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  


The group's final destination was a campground deep in the heart of the Sequoia National Forest. The giant, stately redwood trees surrounded the site and the hush was awesome. A river moved swiftly not far away and you could hear it's joyful chatter in the distance. The children all looked around in wonder and for once none of them argued or bickered. This was beyond what any of the children had expected. Everyone started feverishly to set up camp, Jessie and Jonny moving between the groups of children showing them how to set up tents and help to unpack boxes. It was later in the day than they had hoped to arrive and they wanted the campsite completed before dark.

They had spent Sunday night in Fresno and had planned to make an early start on Monday morning. When Jessie had come out of the bathroom she found Amy had already left for breakfast. She dressed hurriedly and, gathering up Natasha, she went in search of the girl. She found her hovering around Jonny down in the lobby as they waited for a breakfast table. She was dressed to the hilt, make up in place as usual. Jessie smiled and told them that she and Amy would be right back. She grabbed the girl by the arm and disappeared. Twenty minutes later they reappeared and at first Jonny wondered where Amy had gone. He realized with a shock that the girl trailing sullenly behind Jessie _was_ Amy. This girl looked eleven. She was now dressed in blue jeans and a Save the Whales T-shirt. Jonny recognized the T-shirt as one of Jessie's. She wore no makeup and her hair was wet and starting to curl into ringlets as it dried. Jessie told him later that the only way she got the girl to change was to tell her she would be eaten alive by bugs if she continued to wear all that makeup and perfume while they were in the woods. They ended up stopping to buy her clothes because she hadn't brought anything else. Jessie had apologized to Doug explaining that her own wardrobe wouldn't extend to clothing both of them for two weeks.

The first day or two seemed to go well enough with only minor skirmishes to be dealt with. The group hiked the woods, fished in the stream, watched birds in the early morning and deer in the evening, played a wide variety of games and in general had a good time. The children, when tired, would become argumentative and they regularly bickered among themselves but all in all things did not go too badly. On the third day, however, it rained and all the children became cranky. Heated arguments broke out and Brandon tried to smack Jason with a stick on two separate occasions. By the end of the second day of rain Jessie thought Jonny was ready to kill the boy. When day five dawned bright and clear, all three adults heaved a sigh of relief. Unfortunately, the nice weather did not dissolve the problems.

Brandon remained sullen and uncooperative, the twins withdrew back into their shell, Todd began to stutter so badly he was often unintelligible, and even Mica remained fussy. Amy seemed to be the only one unaffected. Jonny told Jessie sourly that all she did was follow him around anyway, so there really wasn't anything to effect. After breaking up the third fight of the day right after lunch Jonny made his escape to the river and Jessie joined him a short while later. As she sat down she told him that Doug had said they could take a break for about an hour to catch their breath.

Sunlight shown through the trees and reflected off the ripples of water in the clear, flowing steam. The air was cool and crisp, and bird song rose and fell sweetly on the softly blowing breeze.

"I don't know how we got ourselves into this mess," Jonny grumbled.

Jessie sighed. "Well, I know how we got into it. I just haven't figured out how we're going to live through it." A sudden shrill scream echoed through the quiet woods. Both young people winced slightly.

"I tell you, Jess, _**no**_ added credit for school is worth this. It would almost have been worth taking the stupid class not to have to go through this. It couldn't have been as bad at this last two days. And we still have another ten days to go! I could kill my Dad . . ."

"He was just trying to help."

"Yeah, some help."

"You could have said 'no'."

"Oh, sure. And then get stuck taking "Human Socialization" for the entire semester. I still don't see why they had to make it a requirement, anyway."

"Who can figure out school boards. And I suppose it might do some good somewhere."

"You're a fine one to talk! You don't have to take it."

"Only because Mom had me working with that underprivileged community in Colombia last summer. I guess they figured I was "socialized" enough. And it's not like I had much choice on coming on this trip either. Dad would never have let me stay at home by myself for three weeks. And I sure wasn't going to sit in LA smog and stare at walls. At least here I could be outside . . ." The resounding shriek came again, closer this time. " . . . although maybe smog isn't such a bad thing . . ."

Suddenly Brandon, Jason and Amy erupted into the quiet glade. Brandon was carrying a large stick, which he was brandishing at the other two children. They were running from him, shrieking.

Jonny jumped up, snatched the stick away from the boy and glared at him. "**Brandon, what . . . are . . . you . . . doing!!!** We've told you before you don't try to hit the other kids with sticks."

Brandon stopped and looked at Jonny with a sulky expression. "I wanted them to play and they wouldn't."

Jonny replied sarcastically, "Well, you've really encouraged them to play with you now, haven't you?" Jessie was bending over the two remaining children. Amy was crying. Her knee was skinned up and her pants were ripped.

Jason babbled at her breathlessly, "And then he tried to hit Amy with the stick and he wouldn't stop and she screamed and I told him to stop but he wouldn't and then we ran away and he started to follow us and he wouldn't stop and we tried to call you but we couldn't find you and so we ran away and came to here because we know that you like to sit here and Mr. Sanderson wasn't around either because he took Tasha and Todd and Mica to the lake and we knew we couldn't run that far and . . ." The child appeared to stop only because he ran out of breath.

Before he could get air to start again, Jessie patted him on the back and said, "You did just right, Jason. Come here, Amy. It's okay. It'll be fine. You've just scratched up your knee. We'll take you back to camp and fix right up and you'll be all better."

The child wailed, "But my pants are all torn and dirty! And I don't like it here. There are bugs everywhere. And I want to go _**home**_ . . ." Jessie gazed heavenward as though in a prayer for patience.

Jonny walked up hauling Brandon by the shirt collar and planted him on the ground. "Stay there!" Then he knelt down in front of the girl and said soothingly, "It's okay, Amy. We'll fix it. I promise." A look of adoration flooded her face and she promptly stopped crying. She held out her arms and with a pained look he picked her up. She put her arms around his neck and hugged him until he thought he couldn't breathe. He patted her back gently and stepped away from her. "Here we go. Come on, let's go back and see if we can't get everything fixed. _You_," he pointed at Brandon, " . . . on your feet and let's go. **NOW**!" Brandon led the way with Jonny close at his heels. Amy clung to him with a grip that turned his hand numb and Jessie followed with Jason clinging to her.

As the five of them entered the campsite Mr. Sanderson and the other three children arrived back from the lake. Mica was crying and the Tasha and Todd looked unhappy.

Forcibly freeing his hand from Amy's grip he turned to Jessie and said, "Jess, will you take care of Amy? _Brandon_ and I need to talk with Doug." Jessie snared Amy by the arm and dragged her toward one of the tents as Jason took off at a run to join his sister.

"But I want to go with Jonny!"

"We need to get that leg seen to and you said you wanted to change your clothes."

As they entered the tent the girl rounded on Jessie in anger. "You're just trying to keep me away from him because you want him yourself!"

Jessie blinked. "What . . . ?"

"It's true! You try and spend all your time with him and I can never get him alone anywhere. And you won't let me have any of my makeup or my dresses so I can make him notice me . . . and . . ."

Jessie looked at the girl in astonishment. "You're eleven years old!"

"That's old enough. And you better stay out of my way or you'll be sorry." Jessie didn't know what to say or do. _And my Dad tells** me** I'm too young!_ she thought. She finally decided the only thing she could do was fix her leg, be sure she got clean clothes and then talk with Doug. Maybe he would know how to handle her.

Unfortunately, when they came out of the tent it was to see Doug getting into their van. Jessie and Amy walked up to Jonny who was sitting disconsolately on the picnic table in the middle of the campsite.

"Where's Doug headed?"

"Down into town. He's decided that Mica's problem is that she developing an ear infection. Seems she has a chronic problem with it. He has a standing prescription for the medication and is going to go into town to see about having it filled. He'll also pick up supplies while he's there. But he may not be back until morning, depending on whether he has to go all the way to Fresno to get it."

"Great!" Amy climbed up on the table next to Jonny. He promptly got up and walked several feet away.

"He's also left _all_ the kids with us while he's gone."

"Including Mica?" Jonny nodded at Doug's tent. "She's asleep right now and he didn't want to wake her. Said she hadn't been sleeping well the last night or so. He suggested an early dinner, camp stories and an early night."

"I can buy that." Jessie looked at her watch. "It's just about four. I might as well check and see what we've got and get started. Amy, you want to help?" The girl gave her a nasty look and walked away.

Jonny stared at her. "What's that about?"

Jessie snorted. "She's decided that I'm trying to take you away from her and that it's all my fault you aren't madly in love with her."

"Oh, man . . . I don't know how to deal with this. She won't leave me alone."

"You don't seem to have any trouble at school. And they flock around you there, too."

Jonny looked at her sharply. "Oho. Do I hear jealousy?"

Jessie made a derisive sound. "As if . . . Furthermore, you keep telling me I don't have any reason to be. But she's your problem. I'm getting tired of being her target." Suddenly they both heard voices squabbling again.

Jonny sighed. "You take care of dinner. I'll see if I can't put a stop to that before they kill each other . . . or I do it for them."

  


~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  


They managed to get the older children to bed about an hour after sundown but Mica was fussy and restless and wouldn't settle. Jessie sat in a chair in front of a campfire they had lit at sundown. It was the second week of August but in the high mountains where they were staying it got chilly after dark. Mica had been crying for her father and as Jessie held her and rocked her she noticed how warm the child felt. She hoped Doug got back with that medicine quickly. Jonny came up holding a blanket, which he handed to Jessie. He sat down in another chair and watched as Jessie wrapped the blanket around the unhappy child.

"It's all right sweetheart," Jessie told her softly, "your Daddy will be here tomorrow morning. And he's bringing something that will make you feel better." She cuddled the child close to her and rocked her gently. Mica curled up against her and began to suck her thumb. To Jonny's utter astonishment, she began to sing softly,

Listen to the song he sings  
Can't you see his music brings her  
Crystal sleep

As her heavy eyelids fall  
He's taking her to where the dolls rule the world

And in that land of make believe  
Is where he'll leave her sleeping  
Softly warm  
In a crystal lullaby

He's weaving her a paper castle  
Where dancing clowns with tassels made of fur  
Welcome her into their world  
That lives inside the dreams   
Of every little girl

She's guarded by a brave tin soldier  
Sitting on her shoulder  
Taken there  
In a crystal lullaby

Sometimes when I listen to  
The velvet song that fills a summer afternoon  
Something deep within me sighs  
And wishes for the peaceful skies of long ago

That wrapped my cares  
In silver air  
And carried them away  
Leaving me

And a crystal lullaby  
And a crystal lullaby"*

Her voice was soft and melodic with a soothing quality. Jonny sat, mesmerized, as she gently rocked the child and lulled her to sleep. After a while she fell silent and her rocking slowed to an eventual halt. Mica stirred slightly, shifted in Jessie lap and fell soundly asleep. Jessie sat looking down at the child in her lap for a long minute, a strange look on her face.

Jonny finally said softly, "You're good at that."

She looked up at him. "She just wasn't feeling good and her Dad was gone. She was a little scared. I remember that feeling. I just made her feel safe."

"You'll make a good mother one day."

She looked at him. "That's a strange comment."

"Why?"

"I don't know. It just seems strange, that's all."

"What? You think I don't want kids or something?"

"Well, do you?"

Jonny watched Mica sleeping for a minute. "Yeah, I do. Someday. More than one, I think. I always wanted a sister."

"I thought I was your sister . . . sort of."

The look he gave her stopped her heart for a second. "Of all the things I want you to be to me, my sister is **NOT** one of them." He sat up abruptly. "Do you want me to take her and put her to bed?"

Jessie shook her head. "She just dropped off. I'll hang on to her for a while. Maybe she'll fall deeply asleep enough that we won't wake her when we put her down. You want to take her tonight or do you want me to?"

"Up to you."

"I'll take her then. You want to shift her bed into my tent?" Jonny rose obediently and moved toward the tent. She watched him go, feeling strange. _Did he just imply what I think he did?_ she asked herself. _And if he did, how do I feel about it . . . ? _ She went to bed that night with a lot to think about.

  


~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  


Some time during the night she woke abruptly. She laid there, a bit disoriented, wondering what had caused her to wake. She could hear Natasha and Amy's even breathing on the other side of the tent. Mica stirred uneasily and Jessie reached out and stroked her hair gently. The child sighed and fell back asleep. She rose quietly and slipped out of the tent. Walking to the center of the campsite she gazed up at the sky. Stars shown like diamonds in the heavens and cast a soft light over everything. Only the most slender of moons shown in the sky. The breeze swirled around her softly caressing her shoulders. She shivered a little as the chill wind caught her tank top and blew down her back. Too cold out here for what she was wearing, she decided.

She was about to go back to bed when arms circled her from behind and drew her into a warm embrace. Jonny's voice said softly in her right ear, "You're going to get cold."

She could feel the warmth of his chest and arms against her back and one of his hands ran up and down her arm softly. Her breath caught in her throat. He nuzzled her neck and she felt his lips brush her ear. She leaned back against him and dropped her head back on his shoulder. She stroked his forearm as it held her waist with one hand as the other reached up to touch the side of his face and his hair. 

"Jonny . . ." Her voice was as soft as the wind. He turned her in his arms and tilting her head slightly, found her lips. The kiss was long and lingering, and when he finally broke it he didn't release her. He guided her head to his shoulder and held her close, one hand stroking her back. She clung to him and listened to his heartbeat. It was hard to hear through the thudding of her own.

"Jess . . . ?" She stirred.

"Hmmmm?"

"Do you mind? With the kids and all . . ."

"No. Not as long as they aren't watching."

"I've been wanting to do that since we got here."

"Why didn't you?"

"There hasn't been an opportunity. And I figured if you thought it wasn't appropriate you'd probably hit me."

"I might have."

There was a touch of laughter in his voice as he asked, "Do you suppose this is what they had in mind for the 'Human Socialization' course?"

"I doubt it!"

His hand caressed her gently. He dropped his head and kissed her again letting his lips move from her mouth to her neck and up to her ear. She shuddered and her head dropped back. He kissed her throat softly.

Her breathing was ragged and she curled back into him, nestling her face in his neck as she whispered in an unsteady voice, "Oh, God, Jonny . . . Ohhhhhhhhh . . . " as his hand stroked her. He tugged her hair gently until her head dropped back and he kissed her again. And again. And again. The blood was thundering in his ears and he felt a little dizzy. He could feel her body pressed against him and her hands created a trail of fire on his skin as they ran down his back. Warning bells started going off in his head. They'd never gone this far before.

He released her reluctantly, breathing heavily. "I think maybe . . . "

"Yeah . . . yeah, I know. I don't think my Dad would approve . . ."

"Or mine . . ."

Both of them stood there in the chilly air breathing deeply. The passion receded slowly, but didn't die completely away for either of them.

Jessie took an unsteady breath and said, "God, Jonny, you always make me feel so . . ." She stopped. "Where did you learn to _do_ that?" They began moving back toward the tents.

She heard the laughter in his voice. "From watching your Dad when he didn't know anyone was around. And practicing with you, of course!"

"Wonderful . . . a peeping tom." His hand reached out and stopped her. It slid up under her hair catching her head and drew her against him again. His breath mingled with hers as he tilted her head back.

Just before his lips met hers again, she heard his soft voice say, "Are you complaining . . . ?" 

After a long time, he released her and she replied unsteadily, "Not as long as your 'practice' _is_ with me!" She kissed him briefly and with a softly whispered, "Good night," she slipped inside and went back to bed.

  


~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  


Jessie woke just before dawn. It was still dark, but she could hear the birds beginning to stir. She lay there wondering what had woken her so early. The dawn seemed almost oppressive. A dread seemed to well up inside of her triggering a primitive fear response. _Come on, Bannon, this is stupid,_ she told herself. _Today will be better. Doug will be back, we can talk with him about Brandon and Amy, and things will get better. You're letting your imagination run away with you._ She decided the best thing to do was get up and start breakfast. Maybe everyone's day would start better with a good meal. She rose and dressed quickly.

"Daddy!" Mica stirred abruptly, crying out for her father. Jessie touched her face gently. It was cooler but still slightly warm. She picked up the child and held her.

"Shhhhh. It's okay, sweetheart. Your Daddy will be here today."

"Jessie . . . I'm hungry."

"Well, then we'll get you something to eat. Come on, let's get you dressed."

Amy rolled over and said, in a grouchy voice, "What are you doing? It's not even light yet." 

Jessie quelled a surge of irritation. She wasn't going to start the day that way. She smiled in the dark and said, "It's okay, Amy. Go back to sleep. I was awake and Mica woke up early so we're going to get some breakfast." The girl made an incomprehensible sound and rolled back over. Natasha slept on, undisturbed.

Jessie dressed Mica quickly and they went out into the early morning dawn. She rummaged around in the supply boxes and found a breakfast bar and handed it to Mica. Setting her down at the picnic table she started to lay a fire in the grate. Unfortunately, she and Jonny had used all but the very last of the firewood the night before. Sighing in frustration she looked at the little girl. She was going to have to get wood, but the stockpile was about a mile away in a holding facility. She could take Mica to Jonny, but he was probably still sound asleep. Mica was wide awake and was liable to get into trouble while Jonny was still trying to wake up. So the only other choice was to take her along.

Jessie knelt in front of the little girl, "Mica, I have to go up the road and get wood. You want to come with me?"

"Yep. I'll _help_." She jumped down off the picnic table and ran off down the trail. Jessie ran after her, completely forgetting to let Jonny know where she was headed.

  


~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  


Jonny rose as the gray light of dawn brightened toward morning. Jason rolled over and looked at him with solemn eyes.

Jonny smiled at the boy and said, "So what would you like to do today?"

The boy considered the question then responded, "Fish."

"Okay. Shall we get breakfast first or try for fish for breakfast?"

"B ...b...br...breakfast!" Todd spoke up and Jason nodded vigorously. Jonny looked at Brandon. The boy nodded slowly.

"Breakfast it is. Last one out has to eat oatmeal!" There was a mad scramble out of sleeping bags and everyone dressed quickly. As Jonny exited the tent with the three boys he wondered idly where Jessie was. She was usually the early riser. He looked more closely and noticed signs that maybe she was already up. There was a wrapper of a breakfast bar on the table and a fire half-laid. He walked over to the girls tent and banged on the side.

"Up and at 'um, everybody. Breakfast detail in five minutes." Almost immediately the tent flap was unzipped and Natasha and Amy tumbled out fully dressed. Jonny looked inside the tent. Empty. He looked over at Amy.

"Where's Jessie and Mica?"

She shrugged. "They got up a long time ago . . . even before it was light."

Jonny straightened and looked around, his hands on his hips. "That's strange. I wonder where they could be?"

"Maybe they went down to the stream," Tasha volunteered.

Her brother countered, "Nah, what would they go down there in the dark for?" Brandon was kneeling at the fire ring.

He looked around and then back at Jonny. "Maybe they went for firewood. There isn't any around and it looks like someone started to lay a fire."

Relief flooded through him as Jonny recognized the likelihood of that thought. He smiled genuinely at the boy, "You're probably right, Brandon. Very good. Let's see if we can't get everything else ready so when they get back we'll have breakfast ready."

Jonny assigned tasks to everyone and they pitched in willingly. He wasn't sure what had brought about the change, but he welcomed it and was determined to try and keep it going. He turned to Brandon and was about to ask him to get the box of food supplies out of its metal storage container when he felt a tremor under his feet. It started as the slightest of vibrations and rapidly accelerated to a violent shaking. The air filled with the sound of rumbling and falling rocks. A tree nearby snapped like a toothpick and fell to the ground with a loud, tearing sound. The children began screaming as they were thrown to the ground. Fear cut through Jonny like a knife. It was an earthquake!

  


~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  


Jessie and Mica had just arrived at the firewood storage shed when the ground began shaking. Jessie grabbed the child and snatched her back as an electrical pole that served to light the area snapped and fell in a shower of sparks. It came down across the roof of the shed that sheltered the firewood. Several of the sparks began to smolder in the slatted roof of the structure as the ground continued to shake. Jessie staggered desperately trying to keep her feet and moved back from the downed power line. After what seemed like ages the ground began to settle, but the downed line continued to throw sparks. Several of the sparks had landed in the dry grass surrounding the structure and flames began to flare.

Jessie coughed and staggered back away from the fire. _We have to get out of here! The ground is dry as tinder. It's going to up like an inferno._ She snatched the child up in her arms and ran for all she was worth back the way she had come.

  


~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  


Jonny was shouting instructions frantically. "Amy, get the emergency packs. Brandon, water . . . fill canteens. No . . . No! Tasha, Jason, leave the tents. Get jackets, sweaters, blankets that kind of things. Todd, you help them. Hurry! We're going to be getting aftershocks. We have to get moving quickly." There was a cold knot in the pit of his stomach. Something told him they **HAD to move . . . and quickly. The stream they were on was fed by a dam further up river. If the earthquake weakened that dam and it broke . . . _Jessie, where are you! Please come back,_ he prayed fervently. _I _****NEED** you.

  


~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Jessie ran frantically. She was gasping in effort, struggling to hang on to Mica and keep the best pace should could. But it wasn't good enough. The fire was catching her. The dry ground was primed to burn and once the fire caught there was no stopping it. Behind her large trees were beginning to burn part way up the trunk. Flames licked greedily through the debris on the forest floor rapidly catching up to her as she tried to flee. The river . . . it was her only chance. She had to reach the water before the flames overtook them. In a frantic surge, she veered toward the river.

  


~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  


Jonny herded his five charges frantically up a steep hillside. They were fifteen minutes out of the campsite and moving as hard as he could make them go. The instinct that had driven him to pack them up and move them out of the campsite was screaming at him wildly. They didn't question him. They didn't cry. They simply did what he told them to do. And the entire time his mind cried, _Jessie . . . Jessie . . . Jessie . . . Jessie . . ._

They hauled themselves up over the lip of the slope they had been climbing and lay struggling for breath. "Move," he gasped, grabbing Tasha by one hand and dragging her toward another uphill climb. The other children moved away from the slope, some staggering, some crawling. He looked back, and well below them he could see their camp. He suddenly became aware of a loud roaring sound. He looked on in horror as their sweet bubbling stream swelled and rapidly became a raging torrent, and then a roiling, gray ocean of churning water rising swiftly in their direction. It swept down carrying away everything in its path. Trees snapped and the sound was deafening. The worst had happened. The dam had burst.

  


~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  


She wasn't going to make it! The wind was blowing down the mountain and from behind her. It was driving the fire across the direction she needed to go and the flames were between her and the river now. She stopped, gasping frantically for air. Smoke swirled around her making her cough. Mica was silent and when Jessie looked at her she could tell she was terrified. She clung to Jessie and cried. Jessie looked around frantically. About 25 yards up the mountain there was a sheet of rock. It fanned out and upward like a triangle with only isolated clumps of green breaking up the reddish gray rock. Bedrock! Without hesitation she turned and began to climb. 

She climbed until she thought she would drop. She could hardly breathe any longer and she was getting lightheaded. She **HAD** to stop. Mica clung to her frantically, whimpering. She sank to the rock gasping for air and looked around her. The only sign of the fire was the steadily rising smoke below her. At least temporarily she thought she had outrun it. She should be okay as long as the wind continued to blow down the mountain. Now she could begin moving sidewise across the rock and work herself back until she was above the campsite. Then she and Mica would climb back down and join the others.

Dimly she became aware of a distant roaring. What was that? It grew steadily louder. Finally, she stood and looked back the way she had come. At first she couldn't tell what it was. Then she saw a tree fall. And another. She watched in horror as a wall of water washed down through the valley. It hit the fire below and waves of choking smoke rose. She stared at the water raging below her and all she could think of was Jonny and the others in the campsite by the stream.

  


~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  


Jonny stood at the top of an embankment gazing down at the devastation below. He felt numb. Raging gray water swirled below them. He thought it had finally quit rising, but he had no idea how long it might be before it began to recede. Any sign of familiar territory was gone. The campsite had been washed away in the original rush of water and the territory through which they now moved was ground they had not explored before the disaster had overtaken them.

Everything in him was crying that he needed to go back and look for Jessie and Mica. It was all he really wanted to do. But with a sinking heart he knew that he couldn't do it. He had other responsibilities now.

They had moved away from the rising water for most of the day. Three aftershocks had hit during that time, but none of them were as severe as the original quake. He glanced back at his charges. They lay sprawled on the ground about ten yards back. They were exhausted. They wouldn't be able to go much further, he knew. He squinted at the sun. It was moving toward late afternoon. He had to find shelter for all of them before nightfall came and the temperature began to drop.

He surveyed the land around them. They were still in the sequoia forests, but the distance between individual trees was getting greater. The ground was thin and rocky and there was a thick coating of dried pine needles everywhere. He knew they had moved close to the edge of the tree line. That meant cold. He needed to move to lower ground where it would be warmer. He looked at the kids again and shook his head grimly. But not tonight. They didn't have the strength . . . and neither did he.

The first order of business had to be to find some kind of shelter . . . a place shielded from the wind where they could build a fire. He looked around again and through the trees, a short distance away, he spotted a rising outcrop of rock. It looked weathered and pockmarked. A cave? Maybe. He contemplated the thought of a cave in relation to earthquakes. Finally, he shrugged. If he could find one and it hadn't collapsed in the first quake, or the second, or third, or fourth maybe it would be safe enough. There definitely wasn't any cover here so they would have to keep moving. 

He walked back to where the children lay on the ground and crouched down among them. When he looked in their faces he saw a shadow of real fear. But there was also confidence. They relied on him. He would make everything all right. They knew it. For an instant he felt completely overwhelmed. He took a deep breath.

"You guys have been real troopers . . . really great. We don't have much farther to go now." He pointed to the cliffs in the distance. "See those? That's where we're heading. We'll find a place to stay there for tonight and then see where we are in the morning. I know you're tired . . . but can you make it that far?" One by one, they each nodded.

But it was Amy that voiced the question he knew they were all thinking. "But where's Jessie? And Mica? How are they ever going to find us?" 

For an instant the pain of loss washed over him again, just as it had in Cairo. _Oh, Jessie . . ._ He bowed his head and closed his eyes. How could either of them have survived that? He raised his head and looked at her. "I don't know, Amy. All we can do right now is keep going and hope we'll find each other. Come on, let's get started."

  


~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  


Jessie stared down at the swirling water below her. As close as she could figure, their campsite had been down there . . . somewhere. Everything was gone in a sea of water.

"Where's Jonny? An' Brandon? An' Amy?" It was the first words Mica had spoken since the earthquake had hit. The ground rumbled beneath Jessie's feet again and she staggered. ** "I WANT MY DADDY!!!!!"**

"I know, Mica. I know. But your Daddy isn't here right now. And we're going to try and find Jonny and the others. You just have to be brave and hold on."

"I'm hungry." _And that is another problem, Jessie thought grimly. I have no food, no water and nothing other than what's on our backs._

"Please, Jessie. I'm hungry."

_**THINK, BANNON! **_ She looked at the child. "What do you say we see if we can't find something up the hill a way. I'll bet there are some mountain berries up there somewhere."

"I want cereal!"

"I know, darling. But I don't have any cereal. Come on, let's see what we can find." With that, she turned her back on the campsite and began to climb again.

  


~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  


Well, it wasn't really a cave. More of a deep hollow in the cliff face, but it would have to do. It had taken the better part of an hour to make the hike to this place. The cliff rose abruptly as an outcrop of bare rock and the forest ended at its feet. The only thing other than rock that rose above them was an occasional isolated tree clinging to the slope. They had reached the edge of the treeline. He figured they had about an hour or so before it got dark. After a brief rest he set them to work collecting firewood. He began searching for rocks. He kept a wary eye on the kids, but all of them were so tired he didn't think they would wander far. He continued to stack rocks outside their little cave.

When he glanced up again he saw Brandon approaching him. The boy stopped about three feet away and asked, "Whatcha' doin'?"

"We're going to want to block the entrance to the cave once we're inside tonight to try and keep out the wind so we can stay warm. The rocks will help."

The boy thought about it. "Maybe we could lay pine boughs on the floor of the cave so the rocks wouldn't be so cold."

Jonny looked at him in approval. "That's a great idea, Brandon! It will provide good insulation and will make sleeping easier."

The boy looked at the ground and a trace of the old bitterness showed as he said, "I just read about it in a book, is all. It's no big thing."

Jonny stood and walked up to the boy. He laid a hand on his shoulder and said, "It doesn't matter where you _got_ the idea. The important thing is that you saw a way you could apply it to our present situation. That's a very important skill and one not everyone has." The boy looked up at him with a glimmer of gratitude in his eyes. Jonny looked at him for a minute. "I'm glad you're here, Brandon. We're the oldest and we have to take care of the others."

Brandon looked over at the remaining children who were working on collecting firewood and kindling. "Amy's older, too."

"Yes, but she's still trying to learn the skills to survive in this environment. I think you've done this before. You have the right instincts."

Brandon shrugged. "My Dad used to take me camping before he and my Mom split up."

Jonny clapped him on the shoulder. "See? I'm really lucky to have you here. Now, why don't you see about collecting the pine bows and laying the bedding in the cave. We'll also need smaller rocks to make the fire ring."

He nodded. "I'll ask Amy if she can collect some smaller rocks and bring them to you." Brandon moved away, but Jonny thought there was more of a spring in his step and somehow he looked happier.

  


~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  


Night had fallen and the temperature was dropping. The only shelter Jessie had been able to find was among some undercut roots of a giant redwood tree. The area had been slightly hollowed out by wind and rain exposing some of the roots of the giant, old tree. She lined the hollow with dry pine needles and bracken and collected fallen branches to lay across the top of them.

Ranging back and forth across the mountainside as they climbed she had managed to find several bushes of late gooseberries and a collection of wild, edible roots and nuts. The berries were sour and the roots tough, but they were food. Mica hadn't liked them but she had eaten as best she could. Jessie silently thanked heaven for her father who had taught her how to recognize edible plants from a very early age.

"You never know when you'll be in a position to need to know how to survive on your own. It's important you know how to do it." Her father's voice rang in her ears as she lay down in her makeshift bed with Mica and drew the branches over them. She was cold and exhausted and her leg, which had been so badly hurt just a few months, before throbbed constantly. _Oh, Daddy,_ she thought, _I need you now. I have no food, no water, no blankets, a child that's sick that I have to care for, I hurt, and I'm completely lost in a huge wilderness. And I've lost Jonny. He may even be dead. Oh, Daddy, what do I do?_ In the silent darkness, she held the child and cried.

  


~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  


Jonny and the other five children sat around the fire in their cave and ate part of the food they had brought with them. Jonny had rationed it carefully. They were all hungry and the effort they had expended today had depleted their reserves. But they had a very finite amount of food available to last them until they could get off the mountain. It wouldn't go far. The emergency packs had never been designed to support them for a long stay. Two days at the most. They were going to have to supplement their food supply. That meant gathering, trapping and hunting. He could probably make a bow and arrows and rig some snares, but it was going to be tough trying to feed six of them. If only Jessie were here . . . They always did work better as a team.

As if reading his thoughts, Amy asked, "Jonny, is Jessie dead?"

His stomach clenched painfully as he looked at her. She looked lost and forlorn. "I don't know, Amy. But I have to believe she's still alive. I've known her a long time and she's tough. She never lets anything get her down. If anyone could have avoided that mess down there, it's her. I have to believe we'll find her again."

Brandon asked, "Is she your girlfriend?"

Jonny's smile was slightly sad as he responded, "Yes."

Jason asked him innocently, "Have you kissed her?"

"Yes."

"A lot?" That came from Brandon.

Jonny flushed a little. "Yes."

Jason made a face. "Yyyyyuck! Did you _like_ it?"

Jonny laughed. "Yes, very much."

Tasha looked at him solemnly. "Do you _love_ her? My mommy says that's important."

Jonny shifted uncomfortably. _Oh, man, how do I get off this subject? This is getting too deep . . . How do I answer these kids?_ Suddenly, in the back of his mind he heard his father's voice. _"Whatever you do in this life, Jonny, you should always try to be honest. Honesty is always the best policy."_

He took a deep breath. "Yes, I do."

"Are you going to marry her?" Amy asked.

He looked at her for a long time. "Maybe. We're still young so we haven't talked about it. We thought we had a lot of time and we didn't want to rush into anything."

"But you _want_ to marry her." Amy was insistent.

He looked at her with sudden understanding. "Amy, there will be someone for you someday. But I'm not it. You're trying so hard to grow up so fast that you're missing out on all the fun stuff." 

"But Mom says I have to look older and not do stuff like this or I won't win all those pageants and get the movie contracts and all."

"Do you like doing that stuff?" She shook her head. "Have you told your mother that you don't like it?" She shook her head again. "Maybe you should." She shrugged her shoulders. They were all silent for a while.

Suddenly, Brandon said, "I really liked her. She treated me nice. Not like my mother."

Tasha agreed. "She was always willing to stop and help if you had a question. She never made me feel stupid. And she never looked at us strange when Jason and I 'talked' without talking. She just seemed to know it was okay. It made her easy to talk to."

"She never laughed at me." Jonny looked at Todd in amazement. It was the first time he had ever heard him talk that he hadn't stuttered. He flushed a little. "Jessie told me that she thought I only stuttered b..b..because I was n..n..nervous. And she said there was n..n..no reason to be nervous around friends. Because friends would always forgive you if you did something stupid."

Jonny's eyes suddenly burned. He drew in a long, shuddering breath. _Oh, Jessie, you can't be gone. Look how much good you've done._

Amy looked around at her companions and suddenly began to cry. "I hated her. I thought all she wanted to do was take things away from me. She took my dresses and my makeup and . . . and . . . other stuff. But now I see it wasn't true. And she was trying to help me and all I ever did was act nasty to her. And now she isn't here any more and I can't tell her . . . I want her to come back!"

Jonny ached as he responded, "I know, Amy. I want her to come back too. I miss her so much . . ." Tasha crawled around and put her arms around Jonny trying to comfort him. Jason hugged him from the other side.

Brandon put an arm around Amy and said to all of them, "It's okay. You all watch. She'll come back. I _know_ she will."

Jonny prayed he was right.

  


~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  


Jessie rose at the first sign of dawn. She was cold and she was worried about Mica. Her fever was definitely back and she had shivered most of the night. Jessie had finally removed her coat and wrapped it around the little girl. That seemed to help some, but not enough. Now Jessie was chilled all the way to the center of her being and she knew they had to have food. She gathered Mica up and began searching. As the sun rose she managed to find small quantities of berries and nuts, which she fed to the child. She did not, however, find enough for both of them. She also noticed that Mica was becoming lethargic and she occasionally coughed.

It was during one of her foraging searches around noon that she found the first traces of someone else on the mountain. In a sheltered patch of ground she found a footprint. It was small . . . a child's print. And it appeared to be moving up the mountain. Hope sprang up in her. If Jonny had managed to escape the flood below he would have moved up to get clear of the water. She looked around frantically. Where would he go? He had to have shelter. There! In the distance. An outcrop of rock. That would be the only place that might provide some kind of shelter. She would head in that direction and pray he had done what she expected.

She went back to collect Mica. The child was definitely feverish. The cough was becoming more pronounced and there was a rattle developing in her breathing. She had to find Jonny. Maybe together they could find a way to attract attention and get someone up to rescue them. She picked up the child and set off after the others.

  


~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  


Jonny had decided not to move again that day. The shelter they had set up had worked fairly well. They had stayed warm and they all needed the rest before they tried to start down the mountain. The best he could figure, if they ran into no problems it would take them all of five days to reach some kind of civilization. And that was assuming he could hit any of the major hiking trails or roads that would lead them back in the right direction. If they were washed out or he missed one of them, they could be wandering the wilderness for weeks.

He also wanted to try getting some kind of meat. They needed something substantial to recharge their reserves and it needed to be hot. All of these kids were lean without any excess body fat. That meant they had little or no reserves to call on when food was scarce. He **HAD** to keep them fed. So he set them all tasks to do and he started working on devising snares. He put Brandon in charge of Todd and Tasha and sent them off to try and find any kind of wild, growing food. He warned them several times about not eating anything until they had brought it back to him. They could not afford for one of them to eat something poisonous. Brandon assured Jonny that he knew what poison ivy and poison oak looked like and that he could identify some edible plants. Jonny had suggested he look specifically for nuts. He had put Amy and Jason to work gathering more firewood so that he knew they would have enough to last through the night.

The children moved in and out of the campsite throughout the day. Sometimes they would sit down and relax but they always rose and went back to work again after a little while. They no longer squabbled, preferring to talk comfortably among themselves. Surprisingly, they all seemed happy and content. Somehow, this had turned into one great adventure. They would have fun on the mountain for a few days and then Jonny would take them home. After all, this is what they had come for. Jonny had never had as much appreciation for his own father or Race Bannon as he did right now. How had they managed to do this every day for over 16 years?

By late afternoon Jonny had managed to snare two rabbits and a pair of quail. Thankfully, none of the children were close at hand when he arrived back at the campsite. He had a feeling they might have been upset seeing him clean 'Peter Cottontail'. At least there would be fresh food to feed them tonight. He set up a larger firepit out in the open and rigged up a spit. He skewered all four of the animals and then lit the fire to get it ready to roast dinner.

Suddenly, he caught a flash of some bright color at the corner of his eye. As he looked up, Jessie staggered out of the trees holding Mica in her arms. He sat there frozen, simply staring at her, unable to believe what he was seeing. She came to a halt a short way into the clearing, weaving in exhaustion. She stared back at him.

From behind him came a wild shout and he heard Brandon's voice yell, "Jessie! Guys, it's_**Jessie**_. She's **HERE**!" And before the boy's voice had died, Jonny was halfway across the clearing. He grabbed her and Mica and hugged them joyously. The other kids ran up yelling and screaming and hugging them both. It was all Jessie could to do stay on her feet. Brandon finally reached out and took Mica from Jessie.

She looked at him and simply said, "Oh, Jonny . . ." He grabbed her and kissed her, completely oblivious to the five grinning children surrounding them. He held her against him tightly as though he would never let her go again while she buried her face in his shoulder. He could feel her tears through his shirt.

He stepped back and looked at her. "Oh, man, am I glad to see you!"

She laughed through her tears and said, "Likewise." She reached out and put an arm around Tasha and hugged her, looking at all of the grinning children surrounding them. "All of you." She looked around her, aware of her surroundings for the first time. "You have a pretty cushy set up here."

"Oh, yeah, nothing but the Plaza for us. Come on, come over here, sit down and tell us where you've been."

Jessie said urgently, "Do you have anything to eat and drink? All I've been able to find is some berries and Mica needs more than that. And I haven't been able to keep her properly warm. All we had was a couple of light jackets. I wrapped her in both of them last night, but it wasn't enough."

Jonny turned to the child and suddenly went cold. This child was _sick_. "Let's get her over here by the fire. Brandon, get me some water. Amy, route through our supplies and see what's there that we can fix to feed her. Todd, get me the emergency medical kit." To Jessie, he said, "We need to try and give her something to bring down the fever."

"She's developing a cough and lung congestion, as well."

"This we do **not** need." They fed her as best they could and then wrapped her in a blanket and laid her by the fire to sleep. Jonny also wrapped Jessie in a blanket and made her sit by the fire.

"The kids are coping fine right now and you need the rest. If you have to help you can keep the spit turning so dinner doesn't burn."

She nodded wearily, then asked, "What's for dinner?"

"Rabbit and quail."

"Nice goin'."

"Pure luck."

"Let's hope it holds."

He smiled at her and rose to go check on the other kids. As he walked by he stroked the top of her head gently. "I got you back. I can't lose."

  


~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  


Later that night, as the kids slept, the young couple sat together near the entrance to their shelter discussing their situation.

"Jonny, we have to get off this mountain. And soon."

"You know how long it will take to walk out of here. And unless we can find water soon we won't be able to make it out."

"I think we're worse off than that. We can't walk out . . . Mica doesn't have the time. She's developing pneumonia. I'm sure of it. If we don't get her to a hospital quickly she may die. We've got to attract some attention. Let someone know we're up here."

"But how?" Her shoulders slumped and she leaned into him. He tightened his arm where it circled her waist and buried his face in her hair.

She shook her head as it lay against his shoulder. "I don't know. I thought about lighting a fire big enough to be seen, but as dry as everything is we're liable to set the forest around us on fire. And I've been through that once already. I don't want to do it again."

Jonny was silent for a minute. Then he said, slowly, "Wait a minute. What if we were to light a fire in a place that was safe. A place where we could control it but that it would be seen?"

"What are you talking about?"

"What if we were to light a fire up _there_?" He pointed up the slope to the barren rock. "We could collect fire wood and anything we could find that would burn. We could also get lots of green branches that would smoke like crazy. If we can get it all set up tomorrow, we light it just before dawn the next day. The fire should be visible for a long way and once it gets light we add the green stuff to make it smoke. Don't you think someone is going to come and check a fire that's burning on a rock outcrop that should have nothing on it that can burn?"

She looked at him with dawning hope. "That might work. And up there it should be controllable so we don't run the risk of setting anything that we don't want to burn on fire."

"We can also post the kids down here with blankets to put out any smoldering embers that might float down and pose a threat. It's our best shot."

"It's our only shot. Let's do it."

  


~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  


Race Bannon and Benton Quest arrived at the park at dawn the next morning. They were met by Doug Sanderson. He looked half-crazed with dark circles under his eyes and three days growth of beard.

"Benton, they won't go up and look for them! They won't even let me go up! They just keep saying the area is closed because it's a hazard. I don't know what to do anymore . . . I _have_ to get up there. My daughter is still up there . . . and Jonny . . . and Jessie . . . and all the other kids. I just can't stand here and do nothing!" Benton and Race exchanged grim looks.

Benton rested a hand on the younger man's shoulder and pushed him down into a nearby seat. "Sit there for a few minutes. Let us talk with the man in charge and see what we can do."

As they moved toward the disaster command center, Race commented, "I don't like this, Benton. It's not like these guys to refuse to go up looking for survivors, no matter how hazardous the area. Unless they already know what happened . . ."

"Don't say it, Race. Let's just find our kids."

  


~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  


The man in charge of the rescue operations was a national guard commander by the name of Hanson. He was about fifty and highly sympathetic, but he was also adamant. He would not let them enter the area.

"Gentlemen, I understand how you feel, but I simply can't allow it."

"But someone has to go looking for them. They could be up there starving to death, for all we know."

Hanson looked at them for a long minute and finally sighed. "I didn't want to show this to Sanderson because he is already half out of his mind. But I think maybe the two of you need to know exactly what we are dealing with." He pulled out some large photographs of the area. "These were taken at dawn this morning. They are the aerial photographs of the area effected by the quake and the ruptured dam." He laid them on the table in front of them. The damage was overwhelming. A huge swath had been cut through the middle of the pictures. Debris lay strewn everywhere along the edges and even in the still photos you could see the angry-looking water still moving in a raging torrent. Snapped trees lay everywhere and near the bottom of the picture the remnants of a house could be seen flung up among the clutter.

"We have fifty-two confirmed dead already with over three hundred still listed as missing." Hanson picked up a clear, plastic sheet and overlaid it on the photographs. When he had lined it up they could see it was a map of the park. He pointed to a spot on the plastic sheet. "This is where your kids were camped when the quake hit." The spot lay right in the middle of the path of destruction. "The area is still under water. The engineers are saying it will probably be at least three or four more days before the water recedes enough to be able to reach the site." He looked at them with pity. "But I don't think there's going to be anything to find. We're looking for them downstream."

_With the dead._ Both Race and Benton understood the unspoken implication clearly.

  


~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  


The two men walked out of the control center silently. Neither knew how to proceed.

Finally, Race said, "But we have to do _something_. Maybe Hanson will let us do flyovers in the chopper or . . ." 

"Over there! That's Benton Quest! Hurry, bring the camera . . ." There was a sudden flurry of noise and a group of people descended on the two men with bright lights, cameras and microphones. Benton looked around him in shock as he was surrounded.

A microphone was thrust at him and a woman's voice demanded, "Dr. Quest, Marjorie Masters, KNBC News, Los Angeles. We have reliable information that says your son is among those lost up on the mountain. Is this true? What kind of rescue efforts are being mounted at this time?"

"Dr. Quest, Blake Kaiser, CNN. Rumor has it he was in charge of a group of small children. Can you comment on this?"

Dr. Quest, Neil Olson, KDVR, Denver. What do you feel the likelihood is that your son is still alive? How do you feel right now?"

Race shoved a pair of cameramen aside to clear a path and grabbed Benton by the arm trying to get him clear of the onslaught. "Dr. Quest has no comment at this time. All official information can be obtained through disaster control." They were almost through the gauntlet when Race was pulled up short by a woman standing square in his path.

She was the individual who had identified herself as Marjorie Masters. "I know you. You're Race Bannon, the government man assigned to the family. And there was another person named Jessie Bannon supposedly lost up on the mountain with the group. Is this your daughter, Mr. Bannon?"

Race shoved her aside roughly and thrust Benton through a line of national guardsmen. "We have no comment!"

As they moved away both men could hear the woman saying, "And there you have it, ladies and gentlemen. The distraught fathers of two of the young people tragically lost on the mountain in the aftermath of the tragic earthquake here in California. This is Marjorie Masters reporting live. Back now to our newsroom in Los Angeles . . ."

"Vultures!"

  


~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  


Jonny and Jessie roused the kids and dawn and explained the plan. All of them were enthusiastic and were ready to run right off and start collecting things that would burn. But Jessie stopped them.

"Slow down. We figure it will take us most of the day to accumulate enough stuff and get it up the mountain to make this work. That means we can't light the fire until early tomorrow morning and then it may take a while to get someone up here to find us. So we can't abandon the other things we were doing. We're going to split you up into teams again. One team will collect firewood, one will forage for food and hunt for water, Jonny will work on setting snares again for dinner and I'll work on finding a spot and starting the transport of wood and stuff up the mountain."

"What about Mica?" Amy asked.

Jessie responded, "I'll keep her with me. I should be able to rig some kind of child carry sack with one of the backpacks that will keep my hands free."

Brandon asked Jonny, "Are the snares hard to set?"

Jonny shook his head. "No, not really. We just need to set a lot of them."

"Well then, why don't you show us how to do it. Since we are ranging around hunting for food and wood it would be easy for us to set them as we go. We could then do another run this afternoon and retrieve anything in the traps. That would free you to hunt for the burn site and Jessie could take care of Mica."

Jonny looked at Jessie who scowled slightly. He knew she wasn't fond of being left holding the fort. "It makes good sense, Jess. And it would also leave you here to keep an eye on the kids and organize the stuff. Then, after lunch, we could all work on transporting the stuff up the hill. It would go faster that way and wouldn't be as hard on any one person." He grinned at her. "Namely, _me_."

She laughed. "Let's do it!"

  


~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  


After a great deal of begging, pleading, and finally, threats, Race and Benton had gotten permission from Hanson to begin flyovers in the Quest Copter. They had agreed that they would search for any survivors and would mark the location on a map and notify the guardsman so they could be retrieved. They were NOT to attempt to land anywhere in the area. Doug Sanderson rebelled at this provision when they told him. He insisted they put him down at the campsite so he could search on foot. His protests stopped, however, when they overflew the site. It remained under a good fifteen feet of raging water. All three men stared at the destruction, sickened.

Race cleared his throat with difficulty and said, "I don't understand why the water isn't going down."

Benton replied in a quiet voice, "It wasn't just one dam. There was a chain of three. The middle one ruptured and the load of water hit the lower dam. It held at first. The initial rush of water was what went over the lower dam. But that rush undermined the lower dam and it began crumbling after one of the aftershocks. Then the last aftershock finally undermined one of the blowout dikes in the upper dam and it began to leak. They couldn't repair it. And the added load of water finally broke the lower dam. The upper dam is still leaking and the engineers feel it's only a matter of time before it gives way as well. It's the main reason Hanson won't let rescue teams in. There's a very great risk they'll be lost when the top dam goes." He sighed. "They were all old dams and construction was slated to begin next spring to shore them up or replace them completely."

The men in the copter were silent for a long time after that. They searched the area in ever-widening circles until low fuel drove them back to disaster control. They checked with Hanson when they arrived back. There was still no word on any of the missing children.

  


~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  


Everyone had worked like demons throughout the day to get everything ready for what the children had begun to call the "big burn". They appeared to be having a wonderful time and their laughter could be heard echoing over the mountainside throughout the day . . . as though a long party was finally winding down and it was time to get ready to go home. Any fear they had shown earlier was gone. Jonny and Jessie worked steadily and tried not to think about what would happen if this didn't work.

Late that afternoon Jonny dropped down beside Jessie by the outdoor spit. Brandon had managed to snare several more rabbits and had even managed to get a couple of quail with an improvised slingshot. He had admitted, however, that he had a chance at a small deer but couldn't bring himself to shoot "Bambi". Jessie had hugged the boy and told him she couldn't have shot it either which seemed to make him feel a great deal better.

"Man, I am beat! After all this effort, this had better work." Jessie sat holding Mica. The child only seemed to be about half-conscious and her breathing rattled badly. When Jessie looked up at him, Jonny saw tears in her eyes.

She whispered, "Jonny, I . . . I . . . don't think she's going to make it. She hasn't eaten all day and she burning up. I don't know what to do anymore. I don't see how she can last through the night like this." 

Jonny crawled over to her and laid his hand on her head. Jessie was right . . . the child's skin was hot and dry and she no longer responded to anything. A sudden, deep anger gripped him. This couldn't happen . . . not to the youngest of them. It wasn't _fair>_! She deserved the chance to go on living . . . to grow up and live her own life. **NO!** He wasn't going to let it end like this. **HE WOULDN'T LET THIS HAPPEN!**

He surged to his feet, yelling, "Brandon! Amy! Todd! Jason! Tasha! Come here, **NOW**." All of them came running. "We can't wait till morning. Mica needs help, now. We're going to set that fire now and keep it going as long as it takes. I'm going to attract their attention if I have to burn down half this mountain to do it! Brandon, go get the bags of starter and kindling and get it up the mountain. Amy, you get the green stuff. We'll have to start with that and we want to make sure this smokes like crazy. You three, get the camp packed up as best you can. We don't want to leave anything behind and we have to be ready to move as soon as anyone shows up. Get going _now. **MOVE!**_" They all jumped. Jonny turned back to Jess who was staring up at him with her mouth hanging open.

"But . . ."

"I'm _not_ going to let any of us go out without a fight. Mica is the smallest of us all and she deserves every chance we can give her. If she won't make it through the night, then we have to do this now. Can you be ready to go at a minute's notice?" Jessie nodded dumbly, hugging Mica. Jonny turned away and ran up the hillside like a man possessed.

As she watched him leave she could hardly believe it. What had gotten into him? She looked again at the child she held and suddenly she thought maybe she knew. She looked up and watched him climbing the mountain. He _would_ be a good father one day.

She watched from below as they prepped the fire. As soon as it was ready, Jonny sent all of the children down the mountain. She noticed he seemed to be having trouble sending Brandon away. The boy seemed to want to stay. She rose from the ground stiffly. Amy ran up to her and offered her a hand. She accepted it with gratitude. The girl stood looking at her shyly.

"Yes, Amy?"

The girl hung her head and stared at the ground. "I just . . . well, I kinda . . . uh . . ."

Jessie reached out and tilted her chin up to look at her. "What's wrong?"

The words exploded out of her in a rush. "I was so nasty to you. And it wasn't fair. And then you were lost and we all thought you were dead. And Jonny was so unhappy and he told us he loved you. And I couldn't say I was sorry. And . . . and . . ."

Jessie gathered the girl into her free arm and hugged her. "It's okay, Amy. I know. And everything will be all right. I know it will. Now, can you get blankets and post the other children around the edge of the forest? I know Jonny said he was willing to set it all on fire to attract attention, but I think that may be a little radical. Let's try and keep it to the top of the mountain, okay?"

Amy ran off happily and Jessie turned to pick up Mica's blanket from the ground. Suddenly, she stopped. Wait a minute . . . what had she said? Jessie turned to stare up the mountain. He had told them **WHAT?**

  


~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  


The plume of smoke that rose into the late afternoon sky was impressive. There was very little wind and it hung around the top of the mountain like a shroud. Surely _someone_ would see it.

  


~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  


Race and Benton were gathered around the large planning table in the disaster control center planning out their search strategy for the next morning. Hanson had finally convinced them it was pointless to search in the area around the campsite. The next day they were to focus down stream. Both men realized that agreeing to this was all but a tacit admission that all of the children were dead. Race was stonefaced and tense. Benton felt physically ill.

Hanson looked at both of them with heartfelt sympathy. "I'm sorry gentlemen, but there was very little hope from the beginning. They've been missing for almost four days now. I have to believe that we aren't going to find them on that mountain. You need to start looking where they are most likely to be found so you can lay this thing to rest."

Doug Sanderson sat huddled in a corner. He hadn't moved since they had landed the chopper about an hour before. There was only about another hour of daylight. They could go back out for a while, but none of them could summon the effort. Benton suddenly sat heavily in a nearby chair. What would he do now . . . ?

Suddenly, one of Hanson' aides entered the room. "Sir?"

"Not now, Matthias."

"But, Sir, I think you really should know about this."

"All right. What is it?"

"We have a report of a fire up on the mountain."

The commander sighed impatiently. "Well, notify the fire boys and have them send a dump plane out to put it out before it gets out of hand."

"But, Sir, there shouldn't be a fire there." A tingle ran up Benton Quest's spine as he looked at the man. Race's head snapped up and his eyes glittered as he watched the uncomfortable aide. 

Hanson snapped irritably, "What do you mean, soldier? Obviously, if there's a fire, it's an area that can burn."

"But, Sir, where it's burning . . . it's above the treeline, out on bedrock. There shouldn't be anything up there to burn."

Race let out a bark of laughter and yelled, "That's my **DAUGHTER!**"

"Any my** SON!**" Both were out the door, sprinting for the chopper, before anyone else could react. 

Hanson ran after them yelling, "Wait." The chopper was already winding up for take off when Hanson reached them. "What are you doing?!"

Benton responded, "We're going after our kids. This is the only way they knew to send a signal." Doug pushed by Hanson and clamored on board. "Are you coming or not?" Hanson swore and vaulted on board. Benton slammed the door shut and the helicopter rose and made a beeline for the rising shroud of smoke in the distance.

  


~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  


Jonny came pelting down the mountainside yelling at the kids as he came, "Let's go! Let's go. We've got a helicopter incoming. Everyone to the edge of the treeline. It's going to have to have room to land!" Brandon took one more swipe at a group of smoldering embers in a patch of dry pine needles and then ran to join the others. They had congregated at the far edge of their clearing and were watching the helicopter as it came arrowing in at them.

Jessie exclaimed suddenly, excited, "Jonny, that's the Quest Chopper. It's my Dad!"

"And if your Dad is here, you know mine is." All of the kids were jumping up and down in excitement, waving and screaming. Jonny reached out and grabbed Todd and Jason who, in their excitement, were ready to go running toward the aircraft as it began to settle to the ground. The door was flung open even before it was totally on the ground and Doug Sanderson came leaping out of it, running pell mell toward the group. The kids ran toward him, all screaming and talking at once. All five of them hit him like a wall, but he didn't seem to mind. But Jessie and Jonny ran toward the helicopter. Jonny reached it first, arriving just as his father was jumping out. Benton Quest reached for his son.

But Jonny grabbed his arms and yelled urgently, "Dad, we have to get out of here. We need a _doctor_. And we need him _**yesterday**_." As Jessie ran up, Jonny ran back to the kids. 

Grabbing Brandon by the arm, he yelled instructions over the sound of the idling helicopter, "Brandon, help me. We need to get all the kids into the chopper. We have to get Mica out of here!" Without hesitation, Brandon turned and gesturing at Amy to help, began shouting instructions to the other kids. Jonny grabbed Doug's arm and pointed at Jessie who was climbing into the helicopter with her father's assistance. Doug abandoned the group and ran toward his daughter. Jonny ran back to their starting point, grabbed the remaining emergency packs and blankets and sprinted back toward the chopper. He jumped on board, the door slammed and the aircraft rose. It rolled sharply and headed back the way it had come at high speed.

  


~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  


Benton Quest sat in a canvas chair outside the emergency medical tent at the disaster control center watching his son. Jonny was prowling like a caged tiger. Hanson had decided that it would be better to get Mica to the attention of a doctor as quickly as possible, regardless of the type of facility. So rather than flying directly to one of the trauma centers in Fresno they had returned to the base camp on the mountain. The plan was to get the child to a doctor, get her stabilized as well as possible, and then airlift her to Fresno, preferably with a doctor in attendance. Benton had already assured Doug Sanderson that Race would fly her out personally as soon as the doctor said she was ready to travel. Doug was in there right now. Jessie and the other children were in there as well. But Jonny, who appeared to have faired well, was left outside to wait. And waiting, as Benton well knew, was not one of his son's strong points. And so he paced.

"Jonny, please come and sit down. That's not doing you any good."

"I can't sit down, Pop. What's taking them so long? Mica should be going to a hospital, not staying here! And why are they holding the other kids? They were okay. What's wrong? This is crazy! I should be in there with them. I'm going to . . ."

"Jonny! Be patient. There's nothing you can do . . ." At that instant, Jessie came out of the tent. She looked tired and Benton noticed that she was limping. _This episode must really have taken its toll,_ Benton thought. _She rarely limps any more._

Jonny turned and crossed the distance between them swiftly, "Jess?"

She smiled. "It looks like everything's going to be okay. Mica is stabilizing. They've put her on oxygen and started an IV with fluids and antibiotics. They're getting her ready to move now but the doctor says she's a strong little girl and should bounce back. The other kids are all fine. The doctors can't believe they aren't showing signs of malnutrition or anything." She heaved a deep sigh and looked at him. "We made it, Jonny. I don't think I can quite believe it yet, but we did." He reached out and put his arms around her, pulling her close. She laid her head on his shoulder and they stood there quietly for a long time.

Race came up quietly and joined Benton. In a low voice, he said, "The chopper's fueled and ready to go. Everything okay?" Benton nodded, unable to say anything.

Abruptly, the tent flap was flung aside and what looked like an onslaught descended on the young couple. "I'm _hungry_!" "Are we going to get to ride in the chopper again?" "Do we have to leave?" "This has been fun!" "I still want to go fishing." "Jessie, I'm hungry!!!!!" "Yeah, me too." "What's for dinner?" "Come on, let's go! You can do that later . . ." "Are you going to kiss her again?" "I still say it's yucky!"

The two stepped apart and looked at the group resignedly. Jonny commented, "What did we ever do to deserve you guys?"

Jessie started laughing. She put one arm around Amy and another around Todd and looked at Jonny. "I think dinner is in order."

He nodded, laughing. He slapped Brandon on the back and the boy grinned back at him, saying, "I saw the place where they were serving food as we came in. I think I can find it again."

Jonny dropped an arm around his shoulders and reaching down for Tasha's hand, he said, "Lead the way. I'm starved!"

As Benton and Race watched the laughing group move away, he heard Doug Sanderson's voice behind him. "That's nothing short of incredible." They turned to see Doug and Hanson standing side by side just outside the medical tent. Doug still had dark circles under his eyes and he looked exhausted, but there was a lightheartedness about him that had been missing earlier. "If you had asked me before we left whether any of those kids would be able to view the world that positively at the end of this trip I would have said no, that it would take more time. And I doubt that the problems are over for them. But to see them all so happy, particularly after all that's happened . . ." He shook his head in wonder.

Hanson commented wryly, "I still can't believe they're alive at all."

Race laughed. "If there's one thing Jessie and Jonny are, it's survivors."

Benton Quest was quiet. The image of those two standing on that mountaintop, surrounded by those children, would be indelibly etched in his memory for a long time to come. When he had suggested this project he'd never dreamed they would be put to this kind of test. He could only imagine what it had taken to keep them all going during those four days in the wilderness.

Their laughter drifted back to him on the wind. Race was right . . . they _were_ survivors.

  


**

THE END

**

© Debbie Kluge, 1997

*_Crystal Lullaby_, Richard Carpenter/John Bettis, 1967.

  


DISCLAIMER: The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest and all characters, logos, and likenesses therein, are trademarks of and copyrighted by Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc., and Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Inc., a Turner company. No copyright infringement is intended by their use in this story. All other material, copyright 1997 by Deborah A. Kluge. All rights reserved. Characters and stories are in no way affiliated with, approved of or endorsed by Hanna Barbera or Turner Productions. This is created by a fan for other fans out of love and respect for the show, and is strictly a non-profit endeavor.


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